“Home.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you,” I tell her and feel a bit of relief.
“We will, too,” Nicole and Naomi say at the same time.
“And I’ll get Mother and will leave when we can,” Evander assures me. “But what was that you said about bringing witches back?”
I close my eyes again, feeling my body react to my emotions. “Some crazy anti-vampire protestor stabbed him, and the wound isn’t healing. I took him to my sister, and she stitched and glued him back together, and she discovered a really faint heartbeat.”
“Fuck,” Evander mutters. “You’re sure?”
I can feel the tears running down my face now, which is a weird sensation since my astral self isn’t crying. “Yes. I figured out it was a curse, but that’s as far as I got. I bound it so it won’t progress, though I know it’s only a matter of time before the binding breaks.”
“And you think someone is trying to bring Lucas back to life?” Naomi asks. “That’s why you want to know about the witches, right?”
I nod. “Whoever cast this used necromancy.”
Nicole gasps and leans back. “Holy crap. Callie, that’s intense. Please be careful.”
“I’ve faced worse,” I offer with a shrug. “And going after me is one thing, but going after Lucas…” I narrow my eyes. “No one messes with my family or my friends.”
“I just got a chill.” Kristy gives me small smile and then looks at the door. “People should know better than to mess with you.”
“Right?” I fake a smile, but my expression falters. “I’m scared,” I confess to my friends. “Really scared. I can’t lose him.”
“You won’t,” Evander presses, but I can see the worry in his eyes. “I’ll look up everything I can and may call on a colleague who is well-versed in breaking curses. Though if they did use the same spell our ancestors used to try and bring back turned witches and warlocks, it wouldn’t really be a curse, would it?”
“It felt like one,” I go on. “It was dark and twisty and made it hard to breathe.”
“That does sound like a curse.” Evander goes around to his desk and starts writing something down. “Though necromancy could feel like that on its own. It’s a dark art. Very dark.”
I nod. “Even Luci—” Shit. I shouldn’t have said anything. As far as everyone knows, I haven’t talked to my uncle since before the wedding. No one will understand how talking to him could help me, not only in this situation but in understanding my angel side in general. “Lu…Lucas. Even Lucas said so.”
Footsteps echo outside the door, and Evander jerks his head up. “You need to go. It’s the Grand Coven.”
I waste no time, not wanting to get my friends in trouble, and pull myself out of the astral plane and back into my body. Lucas is on the floor, kneeling down over me with worry clouding his handsome face.
He has a bit of color to his cheeks, making him look oddly human. It’s unsettling. Things are perfect between us. I don’t want anything to change.
“Callie,” he breathes. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I slowly sit up, taking his hand. “Are you?”
“I’m fine,” he presses, already annoyed. Get used to it, buddy. Hopefully, this will be the one and only time I have to worry about him like this. “Did you find your friends?”
“I did, and Kristy will be here shortly. Evander will get away when he can, but the Grand Coven is at the Academy again.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is.” I blow out the candles and set the tourmaline on the coffee table. “Ruth’s trial concluded, and she was found not guilty of all things devil-related.”
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“I wish. She got her Grand Mage title stripped and has probably been excommunicated from whatever coven she belonged to before. But whatever. There’s nothing I can do, and you’re much more important.”
“I do agree with you on that.”
Once I’m on my feet, Lucas pulls me to him and puts his lips to mine.
“Are you hungry?” I ask him.
“Thirsty,” he whispers and slowly shakes his head.
“Then get a drink,” I say back just as slow. “Want me to water down some blood?” I wrinkle my nose as soon as the words leave my lips. “Never mind. I’m going to get myself a glass of water.” I arch my eyebrows, silently telling him that he needs to take a drink, too.
We both go into the kitchen, and Scarlet comes running, needing out. I fill up a glass of water, give it to Lucas, and then wait until he’s in the living room to open the back door. I watch Scarlet do her business from the porch and call her in as soon as she’s done.
I go back into the living room and find the glass of water empty. My stomach tightens again. Lucas’s body won’t be able to maintain this weird half-alive, half-undead state for long.